Runway models and beauty pageant contestants know the
secret of making legs look long, lean and oh so sexy…

High Heels!

Nothing is sexier than higher-than-the-CN Tower stiletto pumps or boots
for making gams look their leggiest. According to shoe experts, the
“single sole” pointy-toe pump continues to be the must-have shoe of
2013. Boots and booties of all descriptions, whether they are ballet
flats or the new slipper-inspired “smoking shoe,” also share the
spotlight.

“Geox is showing a wide
array of stacked designs in super-sexy colourful suede boots and
booties,” says Deborah Marques, from the PR Department and a
spokesperson for Geox.

“We will definitely be seeing booties into spring! It is okay to wear
suede boots into spring and they act as great transitional pieces with
their on-trend colouring. We have suede material and supple leather in
colours ranging from natural tones to vibrant solids with great
metallic details.”

Boots and booties are now considered multi-seasonal fashion
accessories. Riding boots, stud-detailed, embellished and colourful are
definite statement pieces.

“Western-inspired boots, with and without fringe details and leather
braiding and stitching are trending,” says Rebecca Glazerman, marketing
director for Nine West.

“The new silhouette is the smoking shoe,” says Rebecca. It gets added
to the list of sexy shoes perhaps because of its image of being worn in
the bedroom! “We are seeing richly coloured suedes in footwear right
now—red, purple, cobalt blue and all-over colour and colour-blocked
styles. Bright colours are still important moving into spring, but fun
and happy colours with an injection of citrus. Green is very important
with yellow as a secondary colour. Our “Island Fever” has a tropical
feeling of mixing prints as the extension of the brights, with bird of
paradise floral detail on footwear and in handbags.”

Meanwhile ‘60s fever is not over yet. “The Mod Squad theme is the ode
to the Sixties with bold combinations, Pucci-inspired prints and
retro-inspired combos in untraditional colours and material
combinations with Lucite details, “says Rebecca.

Moving into spring, the jewel tones we are seeing in stores right now
will soften into luscious pastels, reminiscent of Easter eggs,
according to Crissi Giamos, director of public relations for Town Shoes and The Shoe Company.

“Key colours for
spring footwear include mint green, coral, white, nude pale pink and
many black and white combinations,” says Chrissi. “We will see plenty
of colour-blocking, laser cutouts and metallics for day and night.
Studs are a huge trend continuing into spring. We will also be seeing a
lot of rope and cork bottom shoes as we get into warmer spring weather,
and sport-influenced styles.”

Chanel-inspired contrasting colour toe-caps are also prevalent, as are
feminine details like peep toes, bow details, round and pointy and
easy-to-wear-all-day wedges.

So what happens when your killer heels are killing your feet? According
to the book InStyle Secrets of Style,
“High heel shoes can put seven
times your body weight onto the ball of the feet.” Despite the
possibility that our smokin’ hot shoes may cause blisters, bunions,
backaches and maybe even a twisted ankle, many of us wouldn’t dream of
giving them up!

Instead, we secretly carry a pair of fold-up ballet-slippers-in-a-pouch
in our purses to slip on when the stiletto battle gets too tough! Many
shoe manufacturers recognize this, and are now designing footwear that
looks sexy, yet comfortable enough to wear for more than an hour or
two!

“Our stacking design is not just about looks,” says Deborah for Geox.
“We all love our high heels, but we also know that the higher we go the
more force we put on the ball of the foot,” she says. “Having a
platform to support the ball of the foot makes a huge difference on
balance and comfort. It lessens the impact of the heels with no
compromises to their great looks.”

Cinderella found out magic happens when you wear the right shoe! GL

ABOVEAnkle strap pumps - Kamil from Geox

Single
sole pointy-toe pump by David Dixon for Town Shoes

Solid
black knee-high boot with strap and ankle.
Mahogany boot with zipper on the back.
Kamil from GeoxBlue suede boots and red suede
boots.
Laurence High from Geox